Dividing dough



H. HEWITT.

DIVIDING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIZ, 1914.

1,326,930, Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. HEWITT.

DIVIDING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. 1914.

1,326,930, Patented J an. 6, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5555 15% fir H. HEWITT.

DIVIDING DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12.' 1914.

Patented J an. 6, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

HARRY HEWITT, OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORJOF ONE-HALF TO'JOSEPH BAKER & SONS LIMITED, 01? LONDON, ENGLAND.

DIVIIJING DOUGH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed May 12, 1914. Serial N0. 838,098.

To all whom z't 'may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY HEWITT, a sub ject of the. of Great Britaimresiding at 'Manchester, in the county of Lancaster,

in the Kingdom of Englandhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dividing Dough, of which the following is a specification.

In machines for dividing dough it is usual to provide measuring ,cellsinto which the dough is forced so as to give charges which ought to be all of uniform weight.

The object .of the present invention is an improvement relatingv to the feedin of dough into the measuringucells i e., the division boxes orlilre parts. according to which charges of uniform density and therefore of even weight are obtained l find thatit is possible to remove large gas or air pockets without expelling the smaller pockets and. over-compressing or felling the dough, by pressing the dough prior to entering the hopper or charging chamber, by means of a conditioning roller or rollers, so arranged that'there is not a closed space between said roller or rollers and the hopper or charging. chamber of the apparatus, These rollers. are preferably placed abovethe hopper or charging chamberof the apparatus, and owing to the ab senceof a closed space, there is no compresslon of the dough- .ent invention, applied! t er to,

Further, I may place the roller or rollers actually within the hopper or charging chamber of the apparatus so arranged as to feed the material directly into the measuring cells of a drum orsegment, the feeding being effected byothe movement of the rollers. In this case,'however, the rollers should move intermittently since if the rollers were movedcontinuously there would be a danger or overcompressing the dough since a closed space would be present between the rollers and the measuring cells.

When there is not such a closed space, however, as in theform of the invention first described, the rollers may rotate either continously or intermittently.

The invention will be understood from the following description reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show by way of example sectional side elevations of dough dividing machines having the pres- Figure 1 shows a dough divider of the type in which the dough is fed into the division boxes by rollers, and Fig. 2 a dough divider of the type in which the dough is fed into the division boxesby a plunger. Fig. 3 shows a modification of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, 1 are the division boxes in the curved surface of oscillating segment 2. Contiguous to the division boxes, or to the member 2, in which these division boxes are placed, there is a hopper 3' of a width: commensurate withthe division boxes, and so placed that theboxes 1 can be'brought immediately below its center. The hopper outlet 4 close'ly fits the moving member 2 that carries the division boxes 1 so that the dough cannot escape except into such boxes. This outlet & forms a charging chamber. 20 and 21 are a pair of rollers which may rotate continuously or intermittently, arranged above the hopper 3' for the purpose of conditioning the dough. In this embodiment, however, these rollers are not essential as the intermittently rotated rollers 5 serve the double purpose of conditioning and feeding as explained hereafter;

Mounted within the hopper are a pair of mechanically intermittently driven rollers 5 in such a position that a suitable space 6 is left between the peripheries thereof. This space is preferablyadjustable to vary the feed of the dough. These rollers may if desired fit in embayments or openings in the sides of the hopper, or be otherwise arranged, so that the, only space for the delivery of dough from the hopper is between the rollers 5. These rollers 5 are mechanically rotated in opposite directions, so as to mutually draw the dough down between them, and feed it into the division boxes 1, the division boxes being brought to restopposite or adjacent to the space 6 between the rollers. The rotation of the rollers is preferably intermittent and the movement of the head or member 2 that carries the division boxes 1 also preferably intermittent, said movements of the respective parts being timed and proportioned the one to the other, so as to act or cooperate in harmony. In order that the feed may be regulated, I arrange that the speed of rotation or sur= face speed of the rollerscan be varied. at will, a slower short moyement being necesby cam operated plungers 7 or their equiva sary for small pieces of dough, and a faster or longer movement for larger pieces, because each size of division box 1 must be filled in the same time. The dough fed from the hopper can be directed into the division boxes by means of guides or scrapers 1 in the charging chamber a. 1

In operation, division boxes arevbrought adjacent the space 6 between the rollers and large air or gas pockets or cavities remaining in the dough, while at the same time the dough isnot compressed to such an extent as to expel the smaller pockets of occluded gas.- There is no overcompression of the dough such aswould squeeze out all the occluded gases orfell the dough, but the larger pockets are permitted to escape or be broken up. When one row of division boxes 1 are so filled the segment 2 or drum is turned, or the slide moved and the filled boxes have the dough extruded from them lent in the usual way. In the embodiment shown the movement of the segment 2 brings a second series of boxes below the hopper.

If desired instead of feeding the dough into vertical cylinders or pockets these latter may be arranged horizontally in dividing machine. I

In order to assist in the feeding of the dough into shown at 23 in Fig. 3. This however is not absolutely necessary, as the rollers will operate with plain surfaces, and instead of the segment 2 the division boxes may be provided in other manner 6. 9. around the periphery of a rotatable drum 24: (Fig. 8).

The drawing,Fig. 1, shows a free plunger 7 in each division box, the outward movement being eifected by adjustable cams 8 on the shaft 9 arranged to cooperate on the inner ends of the plungers. Any suitable arrangement may be employed for imparting an intermittent oscillation to the segment 2. In the drawing, there is shown diagrammatically, a toothed'rack 11 reciprocated by a cam 12 on the first motion shaft 13, which rack gears with a pinion 14 secured to the segment 2, the cam being arranged so that the segment is allowed a period of rest between each oscillation. The rolls 5 are mechanically driven in any suitable way, and the space 6 between the rolls canbe diminished or increased by, the adjustable screw operated bearings 15.

it is forced by a heavily weighted or other the head of the' the division boxes, the rollers may be corrugated or fluted if desired as Instead of using a pair of oppositely r0- tating rollers, a single roller 23 may be used (Fig. 3) arranged to cooperate with the side of the hopper to force the dough at the proper pressure into the division boxes.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the invention is applied to that type of divider wherein the dough is fed into the charging chamber 16 from whence suitably operated plunger 17 into the division boxes 1. In this embodiment, 5 are the mechanically driven rollers which draw out or feedthe dough and deliver it into the hopper 18, and sointo the charging chamber 16, 19 being the usual cut-off plate which comes forward as or before the plunger 17 advances, and separates the dough in the hopper from the portion which is being pressed forward b the plunger into the division boxes 1. The rollers5 are located abovethe hopper 18 in order to avoid fell ing pressure on the dough and render the contents of the hopper visible.

I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. A dough dividing apparatus comprising in combination dividing means including a measuring cell having a plunger therein and conditioning means including at least one roller arranged in such juxtaposition to said dividing means that thedough leaving the conditioning means traverses an. open space before reaching the measuring cell and therefore cannot receive further compression from said conditioning means.

2. A dough dividing apparatus comprising in combination dividing means including a measuring cell'having a plunger therein and a pair of conditioning rollers arranged in such juxtaposition to said divid- 105 ing means that the dough fed through the rollers traverses an open space before reaching the measuring cell and therefore cannot receive further compression from said conditioning means. I

8. A dough dividing apparatus comprising in combination dividing means including a measuring cell having a plunger therein and a pa r ofadjustable conditioning rollers arranged in suchjuxtaposition to said 11! dividing means that the dough fed through the rollers traverses an open space before reaching the measuring cell.

4. A dough dividing apparatus comprising in combination dividing means includ- 121 ing a measuring cell having a plunger therein and a pair of conditioning rollers ofvariable speed and arranged in such juxtaposition to said dividing means that the dough fed through the rollers traverses. an open 12 space before reaching the measuring cell.

5. A dough-dividing apparatus including in combination, dividing means comprising measuring cells and a pair of rotating rollers arranged with respect to said meas- 13 uring cells in such juxtaposition that the dough is fed directly into the measuring cell with an unrestricted space between the rollers and the cell.

5 6. A dough-dividing apparatus including in combination, dividing means comprising ineasru'ing cells and a pail-of rotating rollers arranged with respect to said measuring cells in such juxtaposition that the dough is 10 fed by gravity from the rollers through a long unrestricted space to the measuring cells.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 27 day of April, 1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 15

HARRY HEWITT.

Witnesses:

HAROLD EDWIN Por'rs, RICHARD MERCER. 

